Jump to content

edm

participating member
  • Posts

    151
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by edm

  1. Hi Jamie, im off-topic but i was just curious about this affirmation. Is there now a city bylaw that regulates the construction and use of wood-fire ovens? Thank you,
  2. I just went down to Fieldstone Artisan Bakery yesterday. They have a amazing facility and are obviously very serious about their bread. They use organic flours from California ("better quality, more reliable source, good price") and offer loaves and baguettes that offer an excellent crust and a pleasant quality overall. To my opinion though, there is a serious lack of depth in terms of flavour. Dunno if that's caused by too short fermentation times?... They used to sell to Capers but have stopped supplying them a while ago. This saddened me at the time as i liked their bread better than Terra's or Ecco's. It looks like the neighbourhood provides them with enough business, which is great for South Surrey! Check them out at www.fieldstonebread.com Could you share the name of the S.S. bakery? Unfortunately people I know there seem to think they are lucky to have a Cobbs now in the area. Would be nice to know of a better alternative, hopefully that won't be overtaken by Cobbs. ← The one that I remember is Fieldstone Artisan Bakery on128th and Crescent Road. I have not been there for a while but the bread was very good. Stephen ←
  3. I found the new Terra Bread location to be disappointing. The way they organized the space may be efficient from a business point of view, but it lacks the warmth (and the sensuality of the smells of fresh bread, puff pastry, chocolate...!) that makes a bakery a welcoming and comforting place. The room feels somewhat empty and "sanitized". There is no soul, no generosity perspiring from these grounds. The products themselves are usual Terra fare. I picked up a ficelle that lacked greatly in flavour. The texture was also a let down. They offer to everyones' view what seems to be a display stone-deck oven, yet their bread rarely offers a nice crust. Some raspberry scones, however, were good, despite missing a tiny bit more swetness. For good bread, one suggestion. Head to the Swiss bakery on Main and 3rd. The organic baguette is only $1.80, and to my opinion, much more satisfying.
  4. ok, we've got a list of cool spots there. Where do you go for a tasty quality breakfast? Is there a place in the city that makes everythng from scratch (jams, sausages, hot choc, bread, pastries...)? Personnally, i like Aphrodites's cafe for brunch. Or i pop by Lebeau or Petite france for the solids and then hop to the Elysean Room for the liquids... Has anyone tried the Alibi room's brunch menu?
  5. back to the tip issue, as well as on the boh & foh misunderstandings. Check out this San Fransisco restaurant's website. Rules (or more so customs, "tradition" in our case) can be bent to the greater good of all. http://www.incanto.biz/why.html
  6. this is the west coast, no? What about the pioneer spirit?
  7. lets have waiters paid a higher minimum wage and split tips 50/50... That could actually have many, many positive results... for everybody.
  8. Jamie, sourcing quality vegetable locally is a major issue. Especially in the winter. Unless, of course, Sysco, Allied, Koo & Co do it for you. Farmers (organic famers, i'm talking about) in the lower mainland need more support and feedback from both professionals and the public. It is an ESSENTIAL step to help improve the overall quality of food in Vancouver. Generally speaking, few chefs here understand the importance of this issue. THERE IS NO GOOD FOOD WITHOUT GOOD PRODUCE. But i know you care, i saw you at Vista d'Oro last saturday... I, for one, plan on solving this issue by having a farmer to work almost exclusively for me and to grow heirloom varities successfully. But i'd also like to see the creation of an organization (a co-op?) that brings together farmers and chefs, with maybe a warehouse at the heart of it where interactions will be made easier & faster. The island seems more succesful at doing such a job.
  9. From my exp. i agree with your opinion, Jamie. But i'd like to precise: to my knowledge, each of the top table group's restaurants bake their own bread. Rhonda Viala at West, Thierry Busset at Cincin, Eleanor Chow at Blue Water Cafe, as well as Aaron at Whistler's Araxi, are all behind the loaves, baguettes and rolls that their respective restaurant serve.
  10. What do they teach them at Dubrulle? It doesnt look like they take them to the farmers' markets or out to the fields, but it sure looks like they're stuffing them with an inadequate and unfounded sense of worthiness. If there's one profession that requires humility, it's ours. Well labour cost here is high, but hey!... not as high as in France for example. OK, every 3* kitchen's filled with stagiaires, but still... Many, many restaurants in Europe work with half the staff of any given place here, but they work their asses off, and the kitchens deliver. They just dont need these pretty red pepper brunoise and sharp vegetable chips to sex things up. The produce speaks for itself. Also i want to point out that choice is an ABSOLUTELY over-rated idea. It's quality that prevails. Ever wondered how a 300sq ft kitchen offers a 3-page menu? Ask the freezer.
  11. Well, when a sous-chef in a top restaurant in Van isnt making more than 2500$ a month for more than 50 hours a week, with a truckload of stress every day, and so on, he takes off to greener pastures or changes career altogether...
  12. Why is Cobs' bread so god damn... "Additives (?) COBS Bread does not claim to sell products free of any ingredients (eg yeast, wheat, gluten, preservatives, etc). Animal Fats Most of our breads contain no added animal products, however, traces of such fats may be found in some products sold such as our cheese breads. Genetically Modified Organisms / Ingredients COBs does not claim to sell products free of any ingredients, however, we have made a special effort to investigate GMO's. Preservatives Whilst COBS Bread does not add any ingredient to be used purely as a preservative, some of our raw ingredients contain preservatives. " Beautiful PR machine! We sell crap, but it's already in the bulk ingredients we use. SO... It's all good! Am i taking the piss? I sure am! Sorry i'm drifting again... (info fetched on COBS' website)
  13. well, since we're talking about french bread... And since i'm french and love my bread, i can tell you one thing. No bakery in Van comes close to a really nice baguette or loaf one would find in France. So maybe LMB focus on local specialties and ingredients, as well as on ethnic food?... Good Japanese restaurants in France are very pricey, and really good chinese are rare, and likely not on par with Vancouver's best. As for the bread, the best tasting bread i've had in BC was at WILDFIRE in Victoria. Nothing else matches. But if you oughta find good bread, give Chris Brown (Rise Bakery, Trout Lake on saturdays) a try. He's not cheap, but it's a pretty good product. My guess is that the bread here is not allowed to ferment long enough, and maybe sourcing of quality flours is not being conducted... But if you wanna have a good laugh, drag the frenchies to Cobs!...
  14. honestly 3wc, that's a tough one. Aphrodite's does come to mind. Some of their food is well handled and their produce are and taste fresh. At the peak of summer, places like Blue Water and West use a lot of local organic produce, and that translates onto the plate. Unfortunately to my knowledge, no ethnic restaurant here is ingredient driven. Maybe you'll have to ferry your ass across to the island to witness effort & pride at serving local ingredients!
  15. edm

    Lumiere

    Sarah, i will try to come up with some sort of list. canucklehead, I strongly disagree with your perspective. I think quality independant restaurants need criticism because that will help them improve and get above that bunch of lousy, mediocre places that get away serving crap. Vancouver needs more places that associate good fresh food with affordability and genuineness. For anyone who cares about their food and who cares to see Vancouver kick some real ass, criticism and discriminatory customers are crucial. It doesnt cost much to go see the manager or the chef at the end of a meal and share your comments. The more people do that, the more improvement we'll see. We can all have a good time, and have a perfect meal! DillyBravo i second your comments. Vancouver restaurants has disappointed me in many ways and i say thank god!!! for ethnic food. But i chose to live here, i am just starting my own business (hopefully to bring my good cards to the game) and i genuinely want to see the food scene improve. I know it is improving already, but i'm really, really impatient when it comes to food! I dream of good bistros with their own potagers and their small producers' smart & affordable wine list. Good artisan bakeries, butchers selling local organic meat and poultry, proper fish shops, and more importantly, a year-round farmers' market with some sexy produce that call your name when you walk by. I dream that good food in Van will cease to be a treat (or involve a marathon shopping across the city), and become a very part of our daily lives.
  16. edm

    Lumiere

    some aspect of a restaurant review are not subjective to one's taste. I'm talking about: -Seasoning -freshness and quality of the produce -Precision of cooking/ doneness -Associations of flavours/textures/produce -Creativity There are also countless criterias for service: -Attentiveness -timing -knowledge of food -knowledge of wine and other alcohol products -etc It is a shame that so rarely you hear about these things on the Vancouver forum. In other corners of the egullet world, debates seem a lot more interesting because they are more analytical, go more in depth. Are egulleters from other part of the world more knowledgeable? Do they have more educated palates? Maybe we could come up with a charter, or a list of criterias that could guide or orientate a restaurant review?... I'm really getting tired of endless arguing about the validity of one's review. And let's take it a bit further than "i loved it" or "yeah, that place was awesome, the portions are huge...", etc.
  17. thx all for your suggestions. Any ideas for a really great artisan loaf?
  18. to offer you even more choice (hopefully not more confusion), give El Rey chocolate a try if you can put your hands on it. Whole foods carries it at times. Only chocolate to be both grown and processed in Venezuela, fairtrade, on its way to be organic, and of excellent quality. On par wth Valrhona and others, and a little less expensive.
  19. i appreciate the suggestions, Young one, and remind you that egullet is a place where people share their experiences. Good and bad ones. The fact that more and more professionals contribute to the forums doesnt, and shouldnt change the very nature of this site. Besides, we've already had long discussions about that topic...
  20. a quick word on my recent experience at Vera's on Davie. Got there around 7 on a weekday, it was very quiet, 4 staff were taking it easy in the kitchen while the grill could have used a big generous scrub. Just the sight of it almost threw me off. Waited 15mn for a burger and fries (only order kitchen had at the time). The meat was dry, unpleasantly charred (burnt, & so was the bun), and the quality of the fries was far from impressive, overly cooked though rather on the soft side. I've had much positive experiences at Vera's in Kits. This was my first try at the Davie location, and likely my last one. Several problems i encounter in Vancouver on a regular basis: -Dirty open kitchens, -Places that claim a lot of things but fail to deliver. Gerald, best of luck with the UBC opening.
  21. thx for the link, JAZ. That's exactly the kind of place i'm interested in. It's good to see restauranteurs walking the walk!
  22. Hi, i'm coming down from Vancouver BC to the San Fransisco area at the end of June. I am a chef up here and i am particularly interested in: -casual and affordable restaurants that feature the very best produce available, prepared simply. -bakeries with good pastry and artisan sourdough breads. -also Farmers' markets worth a visit. If i have to try just a handful of places, on a rather small budget, where should i go? Thanks a lot for your help!
  23. sorry if im off-topic, SD, Toulouse not qualifying as a small town... but a nice lunch at two-star Michel Sarran would be a great addition. Check out his food at www.michel-sarran.com, and forgive him the cheesy music!
  24. someone's gotta explain to me how you make fresh churros with a filling?.... They might be made to order, but they're not made from scratch... Another pale bastardized version of a european treat? we will see...
  25. ... ... -Bravo Bistro's PR war machine wasnt good enough to sink its teeth into Vancouver's flesh. -The saddest thing: getting slower and slower in February... Witnessing the lack, or absence, of support from the public and from the neighbourhood. -Seing lineups at Stephos on Valentine's night... Ouch! Davie St, you let me down and are now banned from my errands across the city.
×
×
  • Create New...